Having a game plan in place for your house cleaning tasks is important. It helps you get things done quicker and more efficiently. Using the right products for the jobs is just as important. Often times, we purchase products that don’t really do what they are intended to do. Using these products as per instructions is also important. If you want to skip all of that and let us worry about your house cleaning services, you can always give us a call! (347) 418 – 0153. As we offer cleaning services in Bronx, White Plains, Yonkers, New Rochelle, and Scarsdale areas.
However, If you’re already a client in-between your cleaning service, this is another great article all about tackling some areas of the kitchen and cleaning products that work really well for cleaning that are cost efficient. Now, lets talk kitchen cleaning.
“Turn on all available lighting when cleaning to be sure to catch areas where messes may be hiding. Fill the sink with hot tap water and add a dollop of grease-cutting dish soap. Use this sink water to complete many kitchen cleaning tasks. Rinse and wring out a microfiber cloth in the dish water as often as it gets dirty. If the kitchen needs a thorough cleaning, empty the dish water and refill the sink with fresh water and dish soap as needed.
Remove grates or burner guards from a gas stove and put them in the sink to soak. Electric stove burners that pop up and unplug from the stove can be taken out if removable to clean the trays beneath them. These burner trays may be soaked in the sink if they are removable. Electric burners should not be placed in water.
DISHWASHER
If the dishwasher has a removable filter, take it out and soak it in clean soapy water for several minutes and come back to it. Move on to other cleaning until the filter is clean and ready to replace in the dishwasher. Once the filter is back in place, pour 1 cup of white vinegar on the bottom of the dishwasher and run on a cycle for heavy duty cleaning. It should sparkle once the cycle is complete. If your dishwasher has a door gasket, try Bar Keeper’s Friend® to remove mold stains and rinse. If it needs more attention after rinsing, try bleach spray cleaner and rinse with a clean microfiber cloth when finished.
MICROWAVE and/or TOASTER OVEN
If there is a microwave above the stove, clean it before cleaning the stove top. Remove and wash the tray. Clean the inside of the microwave with a damp microfiber cloth. Most everything should come off with just hot soapy water, but tougher stains can be washed away with Homemade Cleaner. If it has a white interior and there are food stains inside, bleach spray cleaner may help remove them. Do not ever use an abrasive in the microwave. If the interior is stainless steel and there are racks inside, these may be cleaned with soapy water, but tougher stains can be scrubbed away easily with Bar Keeper’s Friend® and a scratch-free sponge. When finished, wipe down the outside with glass cleaner. If your toaster oven has a drip tray, remove it and throw away the crumbs. Wash it in the sink with a dab of undiluted dish soap. This should take the grease off. For burned on stains, use Bar Keeper’s Friend®. To avoid future stains, apply a layer of aluminum foil to the tray and fold the longer edges underneath. Inexpensive non-stick, heat-resistant toaster oven tray liners that wipe clean with ease are also available now.
Remove racks and clean, with dish soap, and then Bar Keeper’s Friend® for stuck on stains. Wipe down the inside and the glass (BKF will take burned-on food off of the glass without scratching too!), then rinse clean with a microfiber cloth.
Use glass cleaner to bring it to a shine when finished. After the toaster oven is cleaned to satisfaction, replace the drip tray and wipe down the top, front, and sides. As with most things in the home, cleaning up a mess when it happens is the best practice. Food will harden with each use of the microwave or toaster oven if left to sit on the surface. To make a thorough cleaning as painless as possible, take the time to clean up spills at the time they occur. You’ll be glad you made the effort.
STOVE OVERHEAD EXHAUST
If the stove has an overhead exhaust, remove any filters that can be taken out and soak them in hot water with dish soap. If there is a lot of grease on the filters, use undiluted dish soap and swirl it around with a light scrubbing. Let them sit for ten minutes or more and then rinse with hot tap water. Air dry and replace.
Clean the underside of the overhead exhaust with undiluted dish soap on a damp microfiber cloth to remove grease. If some grease remains stuck on, use Bar Keeper’s Friend® to remove the tough spots, and wipe clean with a damp cloth. Repeat the same with the outside of the overhead and wipe clean with a damp cloth. If the overhead is stainless steel, once it is clean and dry, use a dry microfiber cloth and Liquid Gold® to bring it to a shine.
STOVE
If the stove has round, cast iron burner caps, remove those, and remove any cooked on messes with a microfiber cloth and hot, soapy water. Anything that does not come off with that solution will likely come off with a dab of Bar Keeper’s Friend®. Continue with the stove top. Dab a quarter-sized spot of undiluted dish soap on the stove top. Use a damp microfiber cloth to move the dish soap around the stove top to clean the surface. Most grease and food will come off this way. Other stains may be scrubbed away with a microfiber cloth and Bar Keeper’s Friend®. Repeat these steps until as much of the mess as possible is removed by the products mentioned. Rinse the cloth and wipe down until it shines. Use glass cleaner to give it a shine if needed. Return to the sink and check out the gas stove grates or electric stove burner trays and use a cloth to wipe them down. If there is burned on food, Bar Keeper’s Friend® will take off much, if not all, of it.
Test a spot to be sure it doesn’t scratch the surface (it shouldn’t at all, but better to be safe than sorry) and use a cloth to scrub. If the stove has cast iron gas burner grates, this is where the stainless steel scrubber can come in handy. Use BKF on the scrubber and test a small spot to be sure the scrubber doesn’t scratch the surface. If it is safe, continue to take off burned-on food that will not come off with the previous methods. Rinse, air dry, and return to the stove. Electric stove burner trays may be rinsed and dried and replaced under burners. Ceramic and glass-top stoves may be cleaned in the same way. First, wipe down with dish soap. Then, for whatever does not come off, use a microfiber cloth and Bar Keeper’s Friend® to remove the remaining stains. BKF should not scratch these surfaces. But, as always, test a small area before tackling the whole surface. If the knobs are removable, remove them and place them in the sink water and let them soak. Be sure to clean the area under where the knobs sit, as grease builds up and hardens there. Undiluted dish soap works well for this area. Wash down the front of the stove with a damp microfiber cloth. If it is a stainless steel stove, wipe it dry, then use Liquid Gold® on a dry microfiber cloth and buff in a circular motion to polish. This should wipe away existing, and discourage future, finger prints on the surface.
OVEN
Many newer ovens are self-cleaning. When working with a self-cleaning oven, determine if you’re comfortable using this feature, follow the instructions to set the oven to clean. Be sure to be present in the home at all times when the oven is on. Oven temperatures in self-cleaning cycles reach over 500 degrees. Once the cycle ends and the oven cools, wipe down the inside, racks, and door glass with a clean, wet cloth. If there are remaining burned on stains, Bar Keeper’s Friend® will likely take them off.
When working with an oven that is not self-cleaning, use full strength dish soap and and rub it in. Let set for a minute, then scrub with a damp microfiber cloth. If there are burned on stains that will not come off with the dish soap application, use Bar Keeper’s Friend® to clean burned messes off of racks and door glass without scratching with a non-scratch cloth or sponge. Once the oven is scrubbed clean to your satisfaction, wipe all inside parts clean with a rinsed microfiber cloth (McGee Get your house clean now: the home cleaning method anyone can master)”.
